Pope Leo XIV has held prayers at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul, supporting Christian unity and minorities in Turkey.

Pope Leo XIV marked the start of Advent on Saturday with an appeal for unity and peace, telling thousands gathered for Mass in Istanbul that Christians “journey as if on a bridge that connects earth to Heaven,

Pope Leo arrived in Turkey on his first trip outside Italy as leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday and was expected to make appeals for peace in the Middle East and urge unity among long-divided Christian churches.

The American pope emphasized a message of peace as he arrived in Ankara, welcomed on the tarmac by a military guard of honor and at the presidential palace by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ahead of his visit, Leo shared a Thanksgiving message with NBC News encouraging all people "to recognize that we have all received so many gifts."

On his first foreign trip as pope, Leo XIV encourages Turkey’s Christians, government and Islamic leaders to work together for peace and unity.

Shouts of “Papa Leo” and “Viva il Papa” (Long Live the pope) erupted along with cheering and clapping inside and outside Istanbul’s Cathedral of the Holy Spirit as Leo arrived to begin the first full day of his first trip as pope.

Father Mike Schmitz reacts to Pope Leo's visit to Turkey, the resurgence of faith among Gen Z following Charlie Kirk's assassination and the goal of having unity among Christians.

Leo XIV arrived in the country’s capital, Ankara, and will be received by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the opening leg of a trip that will also take in Lebanon.